Boxing: Gennady Golovkin Wants to Prove He Is the Best in Middleweight; Inspired by Bernard Hopkins' Feat
World Boxing Association and International Boxing Organization middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin wants to prove he is the best in his weight division as he is inspired of what former champion Bernard Hopkins has accomplished.
The unbeaten Kazakh has a high regard of Hopkins, who was able to reign supreme in the middleweight class, Boxing Scene noted. "Triple G" shared how he admires Hopkins' achievements, especially that fateful night of Sept. 18, 2004 against Oscar De La Hoya, per BoxRec, when he was proclaimed the king of the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization, International Boxing Federation and the WBA.
"Bernard Hopkins was the last middleweight to unify all four titles when he beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2004. This inspires me to do the same. Bernard was a champion for many years in the middleweight division and I have a great respect for him," said the fighter, who spreads terror with his 91 percent knockout rating, per another BoxRec report.
Thus, his unification fight against IBF champ David Lemieux on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Madison Square Garden in New York is a crucial step in achieving his dream.
"This fight is very important to me to prove who is who and who is the best middleweight," Golovkin said.
Indeed, the result of his showdown against the Canadian boxer is the determining factor for his goal, which was announced in July by his promoter, Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, a separate Boxing Scene report noted.
Aside from the two championship belts he is risking to gain the IBF title from the 26-year-old warrior, he also has his WBC interim title on the line. It was already mandated that the winner of the Golovkin-Lemieux showdown will be the rightful opponent of the victor of the Nov. 21 Miguel Cotto vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez clash at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
If Golovkin becomes successful in getting the IBF and WBC titles, he may then proceed to face the winner of the Dec. 19 bout, per ESPN, between current WBO king Andy Lee and challenger Billy Joe Saunders.
"Triple G" may be silently praying that Lee wins in his title defense as the 31-year-old fighter has no qualms in fighting him, Boxing News informed. On the other hand, Saunders is very adamant of not going inside the same ring with the mighty Kazakh, given his reputation, Boxing News 24 noted, citing an IFLTV interview.
However, it may actually still be a long way to plan, especially as Lemieux is also just as determined to make Saturday the day he will be known by the boxing world as the "new most feared man," another Boxing Scene article noted.
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